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Letters to the Editor

Submissions reflect readers’ opinions and may be edited for length and clarity. Email Magazine@mdc.mo.gov or write to us:

Missouri Conservationist
P.O. Box 180
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Fantastic February

You outdid yourselves again. The Birds and the Bees [February] was fantastic. The content, design, and photography are unequal to any publication in the Midwest.

John Woesthaus, Belleville, Illinois

Birds and Bees

The story on urban bee survival was wonderful [A City Abuzz, February]. And the story about hummingbirds was also excellent [Hosting Hummingbirds, February, Page 20]. I have seen lots of them while at our summer home, but never realized that only one species comes to Missouri.

Stephen Wagner via email

The Conservationist is always good, but February was out of this world good! Superb!

Patricia Kiesov, Aurora

Thank you for the beautiful February issue featuring the birds and the bees. Of particular interest to me was Hosting Hummingbirds. I have been feeding hummingbirds for 25-plus years and use at least 300 pounds of sugar every summer. By the end of July
 and through mid-September, I am feeding 3 gallons of nectar daily from 20 feeders.

This was a great article, but I beg to differ on how often the feeders should be refreshed. I have found that during 90+ degree days, the nectar will spoil in just a couple of days, including feeders in the shade. Even if the weather is cooler, the nectar is not fresh after five to seven days and the hummingbirds will no longer drink it.

Janice Schnurbusch, O’Fallon

Feeders should be refreshed with new sugar water every other day, or every three days at the minimum, during hot weather and weekly during cool weather. To save time, make larger quantities of sugar water (quarts or half-gallons)
and refrigerate it until needed. —the editors

Inspired Angler

Ever since I started getting the Missouri Conservationist, I have really liked it. One of my favorite articles was probably about trout fishing. It inspired me to become a trout fisherman. I’m glad MDC stocks area lakes in St. Louis with trout. Thank you for the Missouri Conservationist.

Hunter Heimburger Ballwin

Welcome Home

As a boy growing up in Missouri in the 1960s, I loved reading the Missouri Conservationist. I poured over the articles each month, learning about our state’s wildlife. By the time I left home for college, I had collected quite a stack of old issues.

Then I moved away. For most of the last 40 years, I’ve lived in other parts of the country. After I retired, I moved back to Missouri. One of the first things I did was subscribe to the Missouri Conservationist.

During those 40 years, most magazines have declined. The ones that didn’t go out of business entirely have shrunk in size while filling their pages with advertising. Much to my delight, the Missouri Conservationist has not only survived, it has improved! The production qualities have been greatly enhanced, without diminishing the fine writing that I remember from the past. Thank you! It’s good to be back home!

Glen Land, Caledonia

Thanks for the Memories

My 80-year-old father told me that in 1945 a man gave him 3 cents and a postcard. The man said to mail it in and he would begin receiving the magazine. He did just that and is still getting and enjoying the magazine today. He just gave me the February 2020 issue so I could read about the hummingbirds. I have seen the Conservationist around the house my whole life and never gave it a second thought. After hearing this story, I couldn’t help but think that your magazine, which brought joy to a 6-year-old boy, is still bringing him joy 74 years later. Thank you for always being there for him.

Natalie Healey via email

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